Warning: There will be spoilers ahead.
This 1994 action-adventure by Nextech is filled with conscious decisions. If you ever feel unsettled by your adversaries being cute or even outright comical, that's because it's intentional. Underneath the almost nauseatingly fluffy aesthetics is an introspective and often poignant game. It's also making for a surprisingly difficult review, if I'm being honest. Part of the problem is that I'm attempting to write this when I had only just finished the game last night. It usually takes at least a couple days for my brain to neatly organize everything. Everything right now is still a jumbled mess. Further complicating matters is that this just had to be one of those games that required me to think about it. Imagine the nerve! I have to take into consideration the themes. Themes!? I've written what feels like a thousand reviews. I don't look for themes! I look for whether or not the sword hits things good.
While I figure out whatever it is that I'm trying to say, let's start with the basics. Right from the jump, Crusader of Centy is one of those titles that just feels good to play. The protag's walking and sword-swinging abilities are on point. Near Soleil, there's the Rafflesia Training Grounds, where newbies can get accustomed to the controls. Rafflesia. That's a pretty-sounding name, isn't it? While looking it up - to make sure I had spelled it right - I discovered that it also goes by the name "stinking corpse lily". Odorous, parasitic, and nowhere near as pleasant as the name makes it sound. Huh. Could've sworn I just said something about conscious decisions. Anyway, the controls are nice and snappy, but also unique. The player-character doesn't immediately turn when changing directions, so if you're facing north and move east, then he'll face northeast for a split-second. This is something to keep in mind when throwing the sword.
The first technique you learn - after spending the requisite 20 malins - is sword throwing. Hold down the attack button to charge up, release to throw the blade a short distance. I complained about the noise this technique makes in my Crystalis review, but I guess it isn't such a big issue now. The sword throw is required for puzzle-solving and boss-battling, but otherwise there's no real reason to be in a constant state of charge. It's not like monsters are going to ambush the protag at any moment. In fact, unless you're absolutely desperate for cash or want that overpriced health upgrade, there's little incentive to fight. The number of instances that require malins can be counted on one hand. Monsters don't drop health restoratives either, those are usually found in bushes. Nature provides, I guess.
It quickly becomes apparent that the sword throw is meant for puzzle solving. Striking switches that can't easily be reached, and so on. This is around the time the game introduces its other main mechanic: animal friends. The protag can have up to two animals follow him at every time, and they all have talents or special abilities. They're comparable to the items that clog up so many inventories in The Legend of Zelda games. Circumstances that require switching animals occur pretty often but expect to have Flash the Cheetah along for most of the adventure. He doubles walking speed and jumping distance.
Oh! That reminds me. Crusader of Centy has a great jump! Over the past months' worth of these action-adventure games, I've grown increasingly disdainful of jumping. A jump should feel freeing, not a tool of artifice that's required to navigate platforming challenges. Over the course of many other games, I've felt like some poor show dog jumping through hoops. That is absolutely not the case here. Nextech totally gets what makes jumping work. Leaping over obstacles is effortless. Leaping over nothing in particular is natural. I'll also dole out some extra credit to the developer for ensuring that the player can't accidentally walk off of most platforms. It's astonishing how few games in this genre utilize such a feature.
The first half of your journey is filled with fun and adventure. I don't just mean fun in the sense that it's a fun game (which it is). The fun is in visiting strange new lands, making numerous friends, and getting involved in quirky situations. There is a lurking undercurrent though. One, the "hero" that you'll often run into. This single-celled brute rushes around attacking indiscriminately. You're his target at one point. Initially, you brush it off. After all, you were a monster at the time. A completely harmless slime, but still... a monster. Other events occur that you might not give too much thought to. Their significance doesn't become apparent until visiting the floating land above the Tower of Babel.
With some newfound insight - and a pair of time-traveling shoes - you'll find yourself revisiting previously explored lands. Gone are the thrills of discovery. Instead, you bear witness to some painful truths about this world's history. The second half feels much more like an adventure game, where that sword you were throwing with reckless abandon has become a tool made exclusively for solving puzzles. Granted, some of those puzzles involve striking an archfiend's weak point, but the intent is still there. The main point is that there is a lot less fighting and a little more introspection. You'll learn to depend more on your friends, making full use of their abilities to progress. It's a very thoughtful take on the hero's journey.
Crusader of Centy isn't especially difficult. If you make an effort to seek out all of the health upgrades, your chances of even approaching death are pretty slim. Again, this is all by design. Nextech cast their net wide in the hopes of reaching players of all skill levels. I'd say they did a remarkable job there. Hell, everything about this game is remarkable. It's a unique and wonderful piece of work. The localization is pretty rough though; dated 90s references and misspellings galore.
Highly recommended.
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